to love (and to be loved)
by PWriter23
Summary: "Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage." One shots about the Next Generation and love.
1. The center must hold

_**The center must hold.**_

"Everyone, be quiet!" A loud voice overpowered the several conversations that could be heard through the entire yard "Come make a line so we can serve you grandma's cake" That almost made the noise come back, as an entire trope of kids marched to the little house's door.

By the threshold, a gorgeous girl, with long blonde hair and piercing blue eyes, stood with a smile. Next to her stood a tall, scrawny, blue haired guy, who was counting with his finger all the kids walking towards the house.

"We're gonna need ten servings" He said as matter of fact. The girl looked at him with a raised eyebrow and a half smile.

"So according to you, only the kids are going to eat cake?"

Teddy stopped for a minute, and now he was the one with the arched brow. "You, Victoire Weasley, eating grandma's cake? Aren't you on a diet or something?"

Victoire rolled her eyes, entertained "Come on! You know it was only once, and just because I wanted a perfect summer body. But I'm over it now." She closed her eyes and raised her chin proudly, with an air of superiority.

Teddy had to laugh. Soon, Victoire did too.

Both got into the house, leading the band of kids with them. Teddy made everyone sit in the living room, while Victoire went into the kitchen and started cutting the pristine cake her Grandmother had left for them to enjoy.

"It's a shame Molly and Lucy couldn't come today" She said when Teddy entered the room. Over the table, there were already some plates ready to go.

"Yeah, it's not the same without them… Although, I appreciate not having to look after one more kid, too" He joked.

"Please, don't be ridiculous. One can barely feel Lucy. She's so silent and shy, she wouldn't be trouble at all." She sighed "Also, if Molly were here, we'd have an extra hand."

"Right, as if she wouldn't have locked herself up in aunt Ginny's old room to call Richard through the old muggle line."

As much as she loved her cousin, Victoire laughed at Teddy's remark. He was right. That summer, Molly hadn't spent a day without talking to her new boyfriend, Richard Lee. At times, it was annoying, but Victoire was really happy for her. Molly's last relationship hadn't ended well and Victoire had been afraid of her cousin never dating again. But now she was, and she felt as if the sky was hers.

"Either way" Teddy sat on the kitchen's countertop, glancing at her as she cut the cake, "I don't think we really need that extra hand. I mean… we've done a great job, don't you think? Nothing has broken, no one's hurt… We even managed to keep them inside the house and quiet for a couple minutes."

As if on cue, the sound of running came to their ears. Victoire chuckled by the coincidence, and Teddy cursed under his breath. With seventeen years already, he had started to use "inadequate vocabulary" a while ago. Always when there weren't adults or kids around, of course.

"Hey, no running inside the house!" He shouted, making sure his voice was loud enough for the kids in the other room to hear.

He was surprised when the running steps came right through the kitchen door. Agitated, eleven years old Dominique, James, Fred and Roxanne looked at him with expectation.

"Teddy, Teddy! Do you think uncle Neville will let me join the Quidditch team?" Asked little James Potter, eagerly. In the back, Victoire bit her lips, trying to stop herself from laughing.

"Well… first you'd have to get placed on Gryffindor. Either way, I'm not sure if uncle Neville…"

"Of course I'm going to be a Gryffindor! That's a Potter's place" James looked at Teddy as if he was speaking rubbish.

"Well, they said that about the Weasley's too, and look at Molly and I" Victoire intervened, going up to stand next to Teddy and smirking at her little cousins.

"Yeah, but it's different for the Potter's" James said, his words coming out confidently.

"Oh, yeah? How so?" Victoire looked him in the eye, genuinely interested on why he was so sure about it.

James was ready to explain himself, when the door opened again. Ten years old Rose and Minna Weasley entered, followed by Albus, who was still on his nines for a couple of days more.

"Why are James, the twins and Dom getting cake before us?" Inquired Rose, her brow furrowed, and arms crossed in front of her.

"Cause we're older" Spoke James, looking at Rosie with superiority.

"That's unfair!" Cried Minna.

"Kids, kids, calm. No one has gotten any cake" Teddy gave James a face, and he just showed Rose her tongue. Victoire bit her lips again.

"We told you to wait on the living room" She scolded them, as Teddy led them to the door once again.

"But you're taking too long!" Dominique complained. Victoire rolled her eyes with entertainment at her sister's impatience.

"We'll be there on a minute" Assured Teddy, finally closing the door. When it was only the two of them again, he let out a breath and smiled. "They sure know how to make one laugh. I'll give them that"

Victoire laughed and nodded, quickly going back to the cake cutting. Teddy looked at her intently for a couple of minutes, while trying to put order to all the thoughts revolving around his mind.

"James does have a point" He said, walking slowly towards the blonde "Maybe it's not all Potter's place, but he's definitely going to be a Gryffindor."

Victoire thought of the boy and all the funny traits he already exhibited, as well as his attitude towards life. She grinned "Yeah, you're right… Still, I think we should prepare him so he knows maybe not all of his siblings will end up with him."

Both teenagers shared a knowing glance. Albus.

"Yeah... We have to teach them that kind of stuff" Teddy reclined his back on the kitchen and sighed, now standing right next to her. "We're their older cousins after all"

"We're" She nodded, finally cutting the twelfth piece. When she turned to leave the knife on the sink, she encountered him. For a minute she was surprised, she hadn't realized how close he had gotten. Then, though, she slowly relaxed and smiled at him "They'll look up on us for a long time on their lives" She didn't know why, but her words came out with a whispering hush.

"We must be together. You know, present ourselves as a unit. For them." He murmured it too, his brown eyes looking straight into hers.

"Yeah, for them" Victoire's pulse had slowly began to rise. The more the seconds passed, the more she wanted Teddy to lean onto her and break the short distance that separated them.

Teddy wanted to. He sure did. He had been dreaming about that moment since the ending of the schoolyear. Hell, since he was a kid. But he wasn't sure if that was what she really wanted. She kept sending him a lot of mixed signs he didn't know how to take, and he was scared that if he were to make a wrong move, it'd damage their relationship forever.

"We're almost like the center of this cousin world" He continued, his chest going up and down along with his heartbeat. "We must hold, so that they don't ever feel insecure about coming to us. They must know we're always going to be here for them."

"Yeah, they must know" At this point, Victoire didn't even know how to build logical sentences. This was the closest she had ever been to Teddy, and the butterflies in her stomach were flying at high speed inside her.

No one said anything for a couple minutes. They kept looking at each other, both lost on the other's eyes.

Victoire was almost losing it. She decided, right there, that she wouldn't wait for him. She could see perfectly that he wanted it too, and she wasn't about to walk out of that kitchen without a kiss from Teddy Lupin. Gathering up all the courage that the sorting hat had mentioned she had when wondering whether to send her to Gryffindor or Ravenclaw, she stood on her tiptoes trying to reach into Teddy's lips. She closed her eyes and began to cut the distance.

Teddy, in awe, having trouble to believe everything that was happening, closed his eyes too. One of his hands went instinctively to Victoire's waist as he leaned slowly into her.

When their lips finally touched, it was like everything else in the world stopped.

Victoire felt the nod in her stomach finally release all the butterflies out of her body, she heard fireworks around them and promised to herself that she would never forget how Teddy's lips felt like the summer breeze.

Teddy could only think on how the girl's lips were the softest silk he had ever felt. The grip he had on her waist had tightened: after knowing how it was to kiss her, he never wanted to let her go at all. He felt as if he had just climbed Mount Everest! The beast inside him was roaring triumphantly.

And then, the world finally moved on.

"We want cake! We want cake!" Ten different voices reached them on the exact same time, all coming from the living room, where ten different kids were slowly losing their mind over the delay of the promised dessert.

The kiss broke within a second. Victoire and Teddy bothstood there, in the side of the kitchen, agitated and looking at each other silently, not knowing what to say. It took a few seconds more until Victoire's delicate lips broke into a smile.

"Put the plates on a tray, I'm gonna calm those monsters." She ordered, trying to maintain her voice as firm as she could as she marched out of the kitchen, closing the door behind her.

Teddy stood there for a while more, startled, an unbelieving hand touching his own lips, trying to determine if what had just happened was real. He only started moving when the noise started again. Only this time, there was an eleventh voice asking for cake.

**A/N:**

**Hey! Hope you enjoyed reading. I'm sorry for any grammar or spelling mistake, English's not my first language. Minna Weasley is a character of my creation, daughter of Charlie Weasley. I do have a one shot about her, but it's written on Spanish. If you'd like to know more, let me know and I'll write about it here!**

**This is basically a set of stories about the Next Generation, mostly about the kids falling in love, but there will also be one shots centered around family, since that counts as love too. It'll be mainly about the cannon characters we know, but I'll also include stories about some of my OC's. **

**Please don't forget to leave a review! That helps me to know if you liked it, if you want more or if there's something I should work on, some mistakes I'm making.**

**Again, thanks for reading! See you next time. **


	2. Silent Love

**Silent love.**

The Hufflepuff common room was comfortable enough. It held almost five different couches, all cushioned, tarnished by a brownish color, set around a big, round, low table. They also opened to a spacious chimney that kept them warm at any hour. Above it, a painting of Helga Hufflepuff hung still, watching all her students go by. And although everyone kept saying it was just a painting, Theodore swore he had seen the hazel eyes move around the room on more than one occasion.

The walls were painted with bright yellow tones, along with details in black here and there. There were also wooden chairs and tables, disposed around the room and almost always occupied by someone doing homework, friends chatting or old graders playing Exploding Snap.

However comfortable and spacious it may be, though, it didn't make up for the noise that filled it all the time. It didn't matter which time of day it was, the bloody room was always echoing someone's cheerful squeal or blaring laughter. There wasn't a moment of peace in there, and it annoyed the hell out of him.

He was brought up in a house were silence reigned. His father was a man of few words, and his mother was more talkative, yeah, but she wasn't loud. Her tone was always composed, and she never screamed, not even when she was mad or scolding. But then again, Theodore never gave her reasons to scold him. He was a good kid, although lonely, and followed rules by hand. Whatever his parents asked him to do, he did. He was an avid reader, too, and he rather a book than a noisy toy.

Things did change when he turned nine, and his twin siblings were born. Elizabeth and Alexander where everything he wasn't as a child: loud, weepy and constantly pampered. He loved them, but he was glad when he got to escape the house and go off to Hogwarts, where he was supposed to find silence and comfort right in the Slytherin common room.

But then, he had been selected to Hufflepuff and everything he hoped for went down the drain.

Since the first time he walked into the common room, he had found it too cheerful for him. Already an outcast, he had it easy spending more time on his bed than in the couches. So, his first year wasn't that annoying. As soon as he got out of class, he'd go to the library, where Ms. Bones kept everyone quiet. Then, after dinner, he'd just go into his room and relax while reading whatever he had at hand, or studying.

On his second year, though, he committed a mistake: He made a friend.

It hadn't been on purpose. It all happened when he was at the library, reading Qulsoy Trop's latest book, "Where the silence is heard". Qulsoy was his favorite magician writer, and he never missed a release from the author. He had been too immersed on the reading to notice the little redhead girl spying on him. And when the blonde by her side encouraged her to get up and talk to him, Theo didn't hear a thing. It was only when she cleared her throat that he stopped reading. He looked at her with puzzled eyes and a raised eyebrow.

"You like Qulsoy Trop?"

And just by that short question, Theo was trapped by Molly Weasley II.

With Molly, came Christine and Victoire, though the latter was a Ravenclaw, not a Hufflepuff. But anyway, his friendship with the girls was both the worst and the best thing that had ever happened to him. Best, because he was able to fill a void he didn't know he had; he started to understand why people had friends, and why it was so magic and important.

Worst, because they forced him to spend his time on the loathed common room, like he was in that instant. Only now, he was studying his sixth year on Hogwarts.

He had grown into a tall, well built man, like his father. He had a sharp jawline and thin lips, with small brown eyes and short brown hair. He was one of the best students of their year, closely followed by Victoire Weasley, and had earned his prefect badge last year. And although he had gotten more used to the badger's common room, he still wasn't entirely comfortable, and winced every time someone squealed, or a card exploded.

That day on particular, he was extremely annoyed.

He laid on the couch closest to the fireplace. The room was packed, but he still managed to get through one of the books for his required readings for Herbology. On the couch next to his, Christine sat with her arms closed protectively around a weeping Molly. The redhead had entered just minutes ago, clutching a wrinkled paper tight to her chest. Theo had pretended not to listen, but he was paying close attention to the girl.

"Richard broke up with me!" She had let out as soon as her body touched the old couch. Christine, who had been preparing an essay for History of Magic, left everything aside and went to comfort her friend.

"And he did it over a letter?" The tanned female arched her eyebrow, motioning to the paper Molly held "What an arsehole!"

"Wha- No, no, no! This was just a letter_ I_ wrote him," Molly whimpered, her voice sounding teary and unbelieving, "Today was our fourth month anniversary."

"Oh!" Was the only thing Christine said this time. Theo chuckled silently. She wasn't the best comforter at all... but neither was he. Poor Molls, he thought.

"I can't believe it's over…" The redheaded Weasley sighed, defeated, finally letting her back rest on the couch. "I really thought he was_ the_ one, you know?"

"I never really liked him. Not since that time he called me fat, remember?" Christine complained, rolling her eyes, playing absently with Molly's hair.

"That was an accident, Chris!" It was time for Theo to roll his eyes. Even with her heart broken by him, Molly was still defending that bloody ex-boyfriend of hers.

He hadn't liked Richard for Molly at all. In fact, when she told him they were dating, he specifically told her it was a bad idea. After all, the guy was a douche, known for his _Hogwarts's favorite fuckboy _reputation, with no concept of moral or decency at all. And he had, in fact, called Christine fat.

As it always happened, Molly hadn't really heard him. She was too stunned by the fact Richard Lee was giving her attention to care. And he hadn't insisted really, since he didn't want to end up as the bad guy. So, she dated him, spending almost all summer crushed on and obsessed over the pretty blond guy, and then in love with him the first months back to Hogwarts.

He could count with one hand the times Richard had spoke to him. He was only interested in Molly -barely-, and he talked to Chris just cause she started their conversations. Theo didn't try at all, preferring to read or study while they hung out with him.

But there were some things he couldn't ignore during those moments: the infinite jealousy that made his body ache every time he had to endure watching Molly kiss that git. Or the annoyance he felt whenever she left Chris and him just to go on dates to Hogsmeade with Lee. He hated that he was so obsessed with Molly Weasley, that she could make him go to the bloody common room without even complaining. But especially, he couldn't ignore the hatred he felt for himself, for not uttering a word about his feelings.

"Did he at least say why?" Questioned Christine, looking at her with wariness.

"He just said I wasn't the girl for him," She sighed again, "But… I've been thinking… Maybe I'm just not anyone's girl."

How could she say that? How could someone make her believe that she was unworthy of love? That she wasn't special, that no one would ever love her. Anger flood through his veins. As soon as he got out of that room, one blond head would roll off.

"That's not true, Molls. You'll find someone, just give it time…"

"But how many guys have I dated, Chris? A _trillion_! And not one, not one has ever fallen in love with me" She sounded flustered, and Theo started to put his book down. He'd have to cut more than one head off, apparently, "So maybe I** am** the problem."

He couldn't help but snort, though, as soon as he gave more thought to her words. When he straightened on the couch and looked at them, he found the girls looking at him with big eyes and arched eyebrows (like Christine) or stunned expressions (like Molly's).

"Maybe you should just stop dating idiots," He determined, looking straight into her eyes.

"Rick wasn't an idiot", Her initial surprise all gone, Molly looked at him defiantly, furrowing her brow.

"Oh, sure. He totally wasn't the boy who drew a dick on Flitwick's blackboard and spent half an hour laughing at his wittiness" Theo countered, arching a brow at her. Next to Molly, Christine had to bite the inside of her cheek, so Molly wouldn't see her smirk.

"That doesn't make him stupid!" She fought back, though her voice lacked conviction. Theo shook his head, "Okay then," Molly started again, slightly annoyed by his attitude "According to you, who should I date? Who's not an idiot, here at Hogwarts?"

"I'm not an idiot, for one. Maybe **we **should date sometime," The words were out of his mouth before he even had a chance to regret them. He hadn't thought that through, and now he sat with regret, avoiding her piercing eyes, which stared at him with surprise and disbelief.

"Theo…" Molly started, but he shook his head and stood up.

"It was just a joke, Molls" He lied viciously, with the nerve of finally looking straight into her eyes. "Now, if you'll excuse me. I think I'm gonna have an early night. Sleep well."

He didn't want to face the rejection. So, he took his book and walked with short but fast steps towards the door that led to the boys' bedrooms. The silence and solitude of his bed was very much needed in that moment, not the loud and insufferable, stupid common room.

**A/N:**

**Hey guys! Thanks for the reviews. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, don't forget to let me know what you thought. Also, remember that if you want to get notified every time I upload, you can give the story a follow!**

**Good night and see you next time!**


	3. Hard to get

**Hard to get**

"I'm gonna ask her" James muttered, eyes set on the pretty Ravenclaw witch sitting on the farthest side of the room from where he was watching.

"She's going to reject you", Fred sighed, allowing his eyes to drift to the older girl his cousin had been chasing that last month, "Just like she did last time."

"No" James shook his head, confidence flooding through his veins like fishes in a river, "Today will be different."

"How so?" Frank Longbottom, who had been quietly reading a book by their side a minute ago, joined the conversation with avid interest.

"She broke things off with Montague last week. I was prudent, didn't ask her out immediately. But it's been a week and soon someone else will ask her, so I must be quick. I have to do it now" he continued to examine her, taking into account every little detail of her appearance that day.

Her hair was always fixed on a braid, but today she had let it run loose over her shoulder. It was wavy, long and it looked like real silk. James would've given everything he had just to run his fingers through those soft, red hairs. The little freckles on the bridge of her nose made her look ten times cuter when she furrowed her brow over something her friend had said. The earring on the end of her nose was shimmery under the golden summer sun.

Her eyes, big and round, turned to him, her perfectly shaped eyebrow arching at the obvious attention she was getting from the third year. James looked straight into her piercing grey eyes and decided to get up on his feet and walk directly to his favorite witch.

"I'm gonna ask her", he repeated like he was waiting for permission.

"Go for it, mate", Frank patted his back, trying not to laugh at the solemn look on his friends' eyes. Fred, at his side, groaned; the dark-haired boy hated seeing his cousin make a fool of himself.

James took a breath before diving himself into a confident walk, the one he had copied from Victoire. She always got away with whatever she wanted, and James had figured a long time ago that he could learn something from the ease and trust his cousin managed herself with. As so, he took step after step, getting closer to the woman of his dreams, with his back straight and his shoulders behind his body, like launching himself into her. He didn't notice the eye roll she gave her friend, or the annoyed expression she wore when he finally faced her.

"Tiffany" he lets out, his voice sounding thicker than usual in a clear attempt of sounding more 'manly'.

"James" she replied, looking at him like he was a nuisance in her shoe.

"I noticed you broke up with Montague."

"Great discovery there, Sherlock."

"And well, I was thinking" he ignored her salty words and continued "Now that you're obviously single, you must be on the look out for a strong man. Someone to carry your things and give you the attention you deserve."

She tilted her face, eyebrow still arched.

"Are you serious?", Tiffany breathed out seconds later. She couldn't believe what he was saying.

"Well, of course" James made a face, confused. Why wouldn't he be serious?

"I think I'll pass, Potter. Again", the fifth year stood up, gathering her things while she motioned her friend to do the same.

"But… I haven't even finished making my proposal!" James squealed with horror, looking at her with unbelieving eyes.

"I think I've heard enough."

"But… but… Tiffany! Wait!" he ran after her, trying to follow the witch, but she started to move faster and lost herself through one of the many halls at Hogwarts.

James walked back into the great room a few minutes later, eyes fixed on the floor and making it look as if he was forcing himself to move forward. When he finally got to where his friends were sitting, he sighed dramatically and threw himself backwards, into the cold stone surface that covered their usual seat. Frank was hiding his chuckles against the book he had been reading earlier, and Fred was looking at his cousin with a sympathetic look. He only gave James ten seconds before leaning onto him, close to his ear and whispering: "I told you so."

Frank broke out in a loud laughter, uncapable of holding it inside much longer. Fred himself smiled a bit, going back to sitting against the wall and away from his mourning friend.

"I just don't get what I'm doing wrong!" the young Potter groaned, frustration marking every syllable he spoke.

"Maybe the part where you just can't get a bloody hint", suggested Frank, "Though I think telling her she needed a man so she can live right was the stupidest idea you've ever had."

"She just isn't into you, wazzock. Stop trying", Fred advised, starting to get bored at the topic they had been discussing those last weeks.

"But how could she not?! I'm bloody handsome, an excellent quidditch player and a Potter, for Merlin's sake!"

"You're also two years younger", pointed out Frank.

"And an arrogant prick", mumbled Fred, going unnoticed.

"So what? My mom's one year younger than my dad!"

Fred snorted, "It doesn't work that way, chap."

"Well, it should."

The boys rolled their eyes at him, but James didn't take notice. He was too busy dragging on his pity party.

"You know, my grandma hated my grandpa for most of their Hogwarts years…" he started after some minutes in silence. Fred could almost hear the thoughts in James' mind, and he sighed.

"Just give it up, James", he begged.

"No. Giving up is for losers! I'm just gonna have to keep fighting for her until she accepts to go out with me" James nodded at himself, like he was proud of having come up with that final decision.

"You and Tiffany are not your grandads. You know that, right? Starting with the fact that you aren't in the same year as Tiffany", Stated Frank

"Know what? I don't need all this negativity right now" James got up one more, determined. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go and start planning my next move, before Tiffany makes another mistake" He passed the strap of his messenger bag over his shoulder, "And by that I mean dating someone that isn't me."

Having said it all, James walked away. Fred sighed yet again and turned to Frank.

"Well there he goes, off to breaking his heart" the Weasley announced.

"Can't say I don't feel sorry for Tiffany", offered Frank as he continued reading.


End file.
